Brindisi
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Brindisi (anc Brundisium) (BR): a port city in Puglia, on the Adriatic coast. Area: 328.48 km². Population: 90,439 (2006e); 89,081 (2001); 95,383 (1991); 89,786 (1981).
The ancient name appears to derive from the Illyrian word brento or bretto (= deer).
>History>: Ancient Brundisium derives its name from either the Illyrian word brento or bretto (= deer), or an Italic word related to the Latin term bruna (=antlers). This was likely inspired by the double-branched bay, although some sources believe it may have been due to the abundance of deer which once roamed here. Ancient tradition names the Greek hero Diomedes as the city’s founder. Historically, however, the place was founded by the Messapii (q.v.), an ancient people linked with the Illyrians. There is also some evidence that shows that a Minoan trading colony once existed on the site. Although Greeks from the city of Taras (mod. Taranto) established a colony here, the town’s culture remained essentially Messapian until the arrival of the Romans in the 3rd century BC. Capturing the place in 266 BC, the Romans planted a Latin colony here in 246 BC. Two years later, an important naval base was established here. In 220 BC, the noted Roman playwright, poet and painter Pacuvius (q.v.) was born here. During the 2nd Punic War, Brundisium remained loyal to Rome after the disaster at Cannae. In the 1st century BC, the population became divided during the Social War, forming two hostile factions, one pro-Roman and the other pro-Italian. This led to civil strife until the Romans finally crushed the rebels. Brundisium benefited in the aftermath of that conflict, being raised in status to a municipium. Further troubles arose during the Roman Civil Wars. In 49 BC, Caesar occupied Brundisium in an unsuccessful attempt to block Pompey from escaping from Italy. Later, in 40 BC, the city was besieged by Marc Antony during his conflict with Octavian. Later that same year, Brundisium served as the site where the Second Triumvirate renewed itself with a new treaty.
>Throughout its history, Brundisium owed its both its good fortune and ill-luck to its fine harbor and port facility. Thanks to its geographical position on the Adriatic, it was a vital strategic and commercial prize. The Romans recognized this, making it the eastern terminus to the Via Appia (Appian Way) in c264 BC. The Roman legions who conquered Greece and the eastern Mediterranean set sail, for the most part, from Brundisium. Merchants and other travelers also used Brundisium as their principal connection to and from the east. In 19 BC, the great Roman poet Virgil died here on his way home from Greece.
>Brundisium was the site of one of the first diocese established in Italy. Established sometime between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, it is now the seat of an archbishop.
>After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, control of the city changed a number of times. Part of the 6th century Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy, it was captured by the Byzantine general John who established his base of operations here. In AD 668, it fell to Romoald, who incorporated it into his duchy of Benevento. Brindisi’s position on the coast also made it vulnerable to attacks from the sea. It suffered several times from Saracen raids, the one in AD 838 being particularly destructive. Thirty years later, in AD 868, it was again sacked, this time by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis II. Eventually, by the end of the 10th century, the Byzantines were once more in possession of the city. They established an archbishop here, subject to the patriarch of Constantinople.
>The 11th and 12th centuries brought more strife as Lombards, Byzantines and Normans fought one another for control of Apulia. In 1071, Brindisi fell to the Norman leader Robert Guiscard, but was soon recovered by the Byzantines. They would continue to hold it until the middle of the 12th century.
>The expulsion of the Byzantines from Apulia meant that Brindisi’s archdiocese was transferred to the control of the Pope. This, however, did not end Greek rites in Brindisi. Greek influence and culture remained so strong that both Latin and Greek rites were practiced in the Cathedral for decades after. Brindisi was also welcoming to the Jews. A sizeable Jewish population thrived there under the Norman and Swabian dynasties.
>Medieval Brindisi gained considerable wealth as a center for the manufacturing of Proto-Maiolica pottery. But the main element in the city’s prosperity and importance remained its port. It was from Brindisi that the Normans assembled their expeditions in their attacks on the Byzantine Empire. It was also here that many of the Crusaders embarked on the voyages to the Holy Land.
>The economic prosperity under the Normans and Swabian rulers declined under the subsequent Angevins and Aragonese. Even so, Brindisi’s strategic importance was recognized enough that the local fortifications were strengthened. The Aragonese also built a port canal as part of the defenses against a possible Turkish attack.
>Some of the city’s former prosperity returned for a time during the 19th century. When the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, European travelers found Brindisi ideally placed as a point of departure for points east.
>In the early part of the 19th century, during World War I, Brindisi became the site of an Italian naval base.
>Points of Interest>:
>Colonna Romana>: Dating from the 1st century AD, it was one of two columns raised by the Romans to mark the terminus of the Via Appia. The base of the other column can also still be seen, although the column itself (which fell in 1528) now serves as the support for a statue of S. Onofrio in Lecce. The surviving column stands about 19 m. in height. The base is made from Attic marble while the column shaft has been made a gray, eastern marble. The capital is decorated with 12 carvings depicting mythological figures: Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva (or Juno), Mars (or Amphitrite), and eight Tritons.
>Roman villa>: Located near the Colonna Romana, it is one of the few surviving ancient buildings in Brindisi. Local tradition claims the building as the site of Virgil’s death in 19 BC.
>Ancient remains>: The modern city of Brindisi sits on the same location as ancient Brundisium, making archaeological excavation difficult. Thus, relatively little of the ancient city has been unearthed or identified. Some ancient remains have been studied below the Piazza Duomo and the church of S. Giovanni al Sepolcro. Some remains situated on the Via Colombo have been identified as a large Roman reservoir dating from the reign of Trajan (AD 97-117). Other remains include those of an aqueduct from the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54), baths, a porticoed crypt with an arched vault, and a forum.
>Monuments from the medieval and later periods are more abundant. The Castle, with its rectangular towers, was built in 1227 during the time of Frederick II. In 1481, the Aragonese reinforced the structure with a barbican and four cylindrical towers.
>The Loggia Balsamo (or Palazzetto Balsamo) is a survival of a 13th / 14th century Angevin palace.
>Duomo>: Founded in the 12th century, little remains of the original structure except for the pavements mosaics in the apse. Most of the structure dates to the 18th century.
>The Romanesque church of S. Lucia (or SS. Trinità) dates from the 11th century. Only the crypt, decorated with 12th century Byzantine frescoes, survives from the original structure. Other parts of the church are decorated with frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries.
>The church of S. Benedetto was founded in 1080 as an Apulian-Romanesque structure. Only the campanile and the cloister of the ex-monastery has survived from the original complex. Most of the rest dates from the 16th century or later.
>The church of the Cristo has a single nave and a notable banded façade. Among its treasures are a fine Crucifix and a painted 13th century wooden sculpture of the “Madonna Enthroned.”
>The 14th century church of S. Paolo has a baroque façade.
>The baroque church of S. Teresa dates to 1670.
>The circular church of S. Giovanni al Sepolcro was constructed during the 11th century by the famous Knights Templar. After the fall of that order it came into the possession of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. The structure has a portal flanked by a pair of Romanesque lions. The interior has a circular colonnade of eight columns. The walls still show remnants of 14th century frescos.
>The Knights Templar are also represented by the Portico dei Cavalieri Templari. This gate includes fine Gothic arches.
>Brindisi>’s principal museum is the Museo Archeologico Provinciale Francesco Ribezzo. It houses collections of Roman and other ancient artifacts found in the local area. One of its greatest prizes is a beautiful marble bust of the Emperor Trajan.
>The Biblioteca Arcivescovile De Leo is housed within the Palazzo del Seminario (174–44). Its collection includes several incunabula and manuscripts.
>The Monumento al Marinaio, constructed in 1933, is shaped like a 52 m high giant rudder.
>About 2 km N of the city is the 13th / early 14th century Romanesque-Gothic church of S. Maria del Casele. It has a banded façade of colored stones. The single-aisled interior is decorated with 14th century frescoes. In the lunette of the inside portal is a beautiful Byzantine-inspired “Universal Judgment” by Rinaldo da Taranto. In the choir is a damaged, but still impressive, fresco depicting the “Deposition.”
Events:
Economy: Fishing, food-canning, flour-milling.
The port of Brindisi accommodates shipping lines linking Italy and other central European countries with Greece, the Middle East and Asia. A major airport is also located here.